Rope clamp



Jan. 23, 1934. F. P. MANSBENDEL Patented Jan. 23, 1934 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE- ROPE CLAMP Fritz P. Mansbendel, New York, N. Y., assignorto Fred Goat (30., 1110., Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York 7Claims.

of the same.

It is frequently necessary to tie rope or the like in overlapping end toend relation. One example is when splicing the ends of rope in order toobtain increased length. A more common example is for 10' tying ropearound bundles, packages, and so forth. The primary and general objectof the present invention resides in the provision of a new and improvedspliced or tied rope, and a new and improved clip or fastener forsplicing or tying the same, which fastener will be particularly adaptedfor a quick and expeditious tying or splicing operation. More particularobjects of the present invention reside in the provision of such a clipor fastener which will result in a tie or splice of great strengthsubstantially equal to the tensile strength of the rope itself; whichwill cause each of the rope ends tied together to assume a wavy orsinuous formation weaving in and out of the parts of the fastener; whichwill be relatively pliable or bendable along its length so that the clipmay bend when used for tying a heavy bundle, thereby preventing theconnection from being either loosened or the rope cut by the metal; andwhich .in initial condition will be relatively flat or sheet-like information, thereby permitting a large number of the clips to be storedin compact stack-like relation in a small space.

Specifically, the present invention centers about the use of a sheetmetal clip or fastener provided with oppositely directed spurs orfingers arranged in alternation, which clip is placed over theoverlapping ends of the rope to be spliced, and the fingers are thencrimped and curled so that the fingers at one side of the fastener curlaround one 40 of the ropes, while the fingers on the other side of thefastener curl around the other of the ropes. At this stage of theoperation the fingers may, if desired, be curled sufficiently tightlyaround each of the ropes as to provide a grip thereon, but this featureis entirely optional. After the fingers at each side of the clip havebeen curled around each of the ropes separately, the clip is thenadditionally crimped or compressed in order to bring the alternatecurled fingers on each side thereof into interlaced or interlockedrelation: and it is this which forces each of the ropes to assume thedesired wavy or sinuous formation as it weaves through and around thealternate fingers of the fastener, which in turn causes the desiredSerial No. 625,735

permanent and high tensile strength of the joint between the splicedrope ends.

At the same time, by making the clip out of a moderately soft andpliable metal, such as cold rolled steel, the resulting joint will notbe rigid but rather will be bendable because the central or backboneportion of the clip is quite narrow and is not bent for any appreciabledistance around the rope.

The present application is a division of my copending application SerialNo. 614,085 filed May 28, 1932, entitled Splicing or tying of rope orthe like, which copending application discloses not only the fastenerand spliced rope of the present invention, but also a machine forautomatically operating upon the fastener.

A few parts of said machine are disclosed and described in order to bestexplain the preferred mode of use of the clip of my invention.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as mayhereinafter appear, my invention consists in the clip or fastener forsplicing or tying rope or the like; in the step product resulting fromthe operation of applying the fastener to the rope; in the splicedortied rope; as Well as the relation of these' elements one to the otheras hereinafter are more particularly described in the specification andsought to be defined in the claims. The specification is accom panied bya drawing in which: v

Fig. 1 shows a preferred form of clip or fastener made in accordancewith the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same as borne against by the anvil of thefeed mechanism of one form of bundling machine utilizing the clip 90 ofmy invention;

.Fig. 3 shows the same at the completion of a preliminary crimpingoperation caused by oppositely movable crimping jaws cooperating withthe aforesaid anvil;

Fig. 4 illustrates how the preliminarily crimped but open clip is placedover a pair of ropes to be spliced;

'Fig. 5 shows the curling over of the fingers at each side of the cliparound each of the ropes as the crimping jaws are closed;

Fig. 6 illustrates a further stage in the crimping operation;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a joint, tie, or splice produced by myinvention; and

Fig. 8 is a similar plan view of the clip alone with the rope removed,illustrating the interlacing or interlocking of the alternate fingers ofthe fastener.

Referring to the drawing and particularly to no Fig. 1 thereof, the clipor fastener of the present invention comprises a central strip orbackbone section of metal 2 bearing on each side thereof outwardly oroppositely directed spurs or fingers 4 and 6, the fingers 4 on one sideof the clip being arranged in alternation with the fingers 6 on theopposite side of the clip, that is, each of the fingers 6 is locatedopposite the spaces between the fingers 4, and, conversely, each of thefingers 4 is located opposite the spaces between the fingers 6,-all asis readily evident from an inspection of the drawing.

Viewed in side elevation, the clip is preferably in the form of arelatively fiat or open V, as is clearly evident from an inspection ofFig. 2 of the drawing. This relatively fiat shape, in contrast with thecurled shapes illustrated in the following figures of the drawing, ishighly desirable in order to permit a mass of the clips to be arrangedcompactly in closely stacked relation as, for example, in the supplymagazine of any appropriate tying machine intended to operate upon theclips, an example of which is disclosed in my copending applicationpreviously referred to. It will be. understood that the clips may, ifdesired, be left truly fiat or planar in shape, instead of being giventhe shallow V shape shown in Fig. 2, but the V shape illustrated issomewhat preferable in facilitating the crimping or bending operationsubsequently performed upon the clip.

From the standpoint of the actual method of applying the clip to a pairof ropes to be spliced, the clip might even more preferably be given across-section such as is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, in which the endsof the fingers 4 and 6 are preliminarily curled as is indicated at 8 and10. This preliminary curling of the tips of the fingers is sufficientlysmall so that the clip is left wide open and may readily be applied overthe ropes to be spliced in a manner self-evident from an inspection ofFig. 4, yet is sufliciently large to insure that the fingers will, uponfurther compression between a pair of oppositely movable clamping orcrimping jaws such as the jaws 16 and 18, roll up upon themselves in acontinuous curled relation in a manner evident from an inspection ofFig. 5. It will therefore be appreciated that the clip in the stepproduct form shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is perfectly useful for practicingtheinvention, and that the relatively flat and open V shape illustratedin Fig. 2 is preferred simply as a compromise between a perfectly flatclip shape which would require much preliminary operation by thecrimping machine,

' close stacking of a mass of the fasteners.

Accordingly, the relatively flat V-shaped clip shown in Fig. 2 ispreliminarily crimped or bent around an anvil such as the anvil l2shownin Figs. 2 and 3. The anvil 12 may also act as a feed bar forfeeding the clips singly from a magazine to crimping mechanismcomprising a reaction bar or back bar 14 and oppositely movable crimpingor clamping jaws 16 and 18, and, as is illustrated in Fig.3, the clip 2is supported between the anvil l2 and the reaction. bar 14, while theends of the fingers 4 and (i arev bent around the curved upper and loweredges of the anvil 12 by the jaws 16, and 18. This preliminary bend ofthe fingers 4 and 6 is so designed with relation to the movement of thejaws l6. and 18.;that continued bending and curling over of the fingersmay thereafter be obtained without the use of any intermediate orsupporting member such as the anvil 12. Consequently, anvil 12 may beremoved, as by sliding the same longitudinally from the clip, and thelatter, under the continued threepoint support of back bar 14 and jawsl6 and 18, may be moved as desired and, for example, may be placed overthe rope ends 20 and 22 arranged in parallel juxtaposition, as is shownin Fig. 4 of the drawing.

Continued movement or squeezing together of the jaws 16 and 18 causesthe preliminarily curled ends 8 and 10 to continue to roll over uponthemselves and around each of the ropes 20 and 22, as is shown in Fig. 5of the drawing. At this point it may be mentioned that the length of thefingers of the clip is preferably determined byand in relation to theperiphery of the ropes 20 and 22. More specifically, the over-all lengthof each of the fingers measured from the center line of the clip itselfis preferably equal to the circumferential or peripheral dimension ofthe rope with which the clip is to be used, when the said rope is in acompressed condition. The approximate realization of this condition isillustrated in Fig. 6, for example, but for reasons subsequentlyexplained considerable variation is permissible, so that a given size ofclip may be used with a range of rope size, or, what is more important,the clip may be used with a cheap rope as when tying newspaper bundlesor the like, the said rope being characterized by changes in dimensionfrom point to point.

It may further be mentioned that the curvature of the fingers inrelation to the size of the rope may be so chosen that each of the ropesis gripped by the curled finger even when the ropes are still left inside by side position as shown in Fig. 5. This feature, however, isoptional and is relatively unimportant, for the true grip upon andlocking together of the ropes is obtained as is next described inconnection with Figs. 6, '7, and 8 of the drawing.

Continued compression or squeezing together of 3 bar substantially atthe end of the crimping operation; and this. results in an interlacingor interlocking of the alternate fingers of the fastener, as is bestillustrated in Figs. '7 and 8 of the drawing. Fig. 7 shows the resultingjoint or tie, while Fig. 8 illustrates the clip of Fig. 7 with the roperemoved. It will be observed from an inspection of Fig. 8 that thefingers 4 are meshed with the fingers 6, and it will then be evident,particularly on inspection of Fig. 7, that the ropes are'not onlysurrounded by the fingers, but 1 that the ropes are caused to weave insinuous formation through and around the alternate fingers of thefastener. Specifically, the rope 20 is surrounded and clampedv by thefingers 4; the

rope 22 is surrounded and clamped by the fingers 1 6; the fingers 4 and6 are forced into meshing or interlocking relationship so that thefingers 4 jam or wedge the rope 22 outwardly between the fingers 6,while the fingers 6 jam or wedge the rope 20 outwardly between thefingers 4; and

consequently the ropes 20 and 22 each weave sinuously through and aroundthe alternate succeeding fingers of the metallic clip.

Reverting to Fig. 1', it will be noted that the fingers or spurs 4 and 6are preferably generally triangular in shape, for this makes possiblemaximum strength and best utilization of the available metal. A furtheradvantage of the triangular shape is evident from an inspection of Fig.8 in which it will be seen that the oppositely disposed triangular spursor fingers come into the desired mesh relation without having to greatlyweaken or slenderize the individual fingers. The reduced ends of teeth 4may be used to force the rope 22-outwardly between the teeth 6, despitethe fact that the space between the teeth 6 is moderately small, whileat the same time the base of the teeth 4 is wide and sumciently strongto make the tooth as a whole strong enough for the desired purpose.Furthermore, the use of a triangular tooth very greatly facilitatesobtaining the desired rolling action of each tooth as the clip as awhole is compressed, for at the beginning of the rolling action only thenarrow part of the tooth is being rolled while the wide part of thetooth is strong enough to prevent buckling or folding at that point. Inother words, the progressive widening of the tooth insures a progressiverolling of the tooth under compression. It should also be noted that theteeth are preferably at least a little smaller than the spaces betweenthe teeth because then when the clip is compressed a range of degree ofcompression may be accommodated, and this in turn permits a range ofchange of rope size to be accommodated. The great strength of thefinished union, as shown in Fig. 7 is, of course, due to the cumulativeeffect of the series of frictional impedances caused by each of thecompressions and bendings of the rope.

. The compression of the clip may be carried to the point where the clipbecomes substantially cylindrical and only slightly greater in diameterthan either of the ropes which are spliced together, thereby making aneat splice or tie. The interlocking connection obtained is fully equalin tensile strength to the tensile strength of the rope itself. At thesame time, because of the fact that the metallic splice is made up ofmany small separate or severed metallic elements interconnected only atthe relatively narrow strip or backbone portion 2 of the clip, thesplice remains yieldable or bendable, and this is of extreme importancefor many purposes, particularly when tying relatively heavy bundles.

The material used for the strip is a relatively heavy gauge sheet metalwhich is moderately soft and pliable. It may, for example, be coldrolled steel. Hard or springy steel should not be used because thefingers will tend to spring open after being bent. An exceedingly softmaterial should not be used because it will not retain its shape andgrip upon the rope with sufiicient strength and permanence. The materialis primarily selected so that the individual fingers when forced intoshape will hold the desired shape. It is not necessary to select anespecially pliable material in order to obtain the desired bendabilityof the clip as a whole, because this bendability of the clip resultsprimarily, as has already been explained, from the reduction or thinningof the central portion 2 of the clip.

It is believed that the nature and mode of construction and use of myimproved clip or fastener and the spliced rope resulting therefrom, aswell as the many advantages thereof, will be apparent from the foregoingdetailed description thereof. The clips are relatively simple in natureand inexpensive to manufacture. The tying or splicing operation may beperformed with extreme rapidity and results in a strong joint or unionsubstantially equal to the tensile strength of the rope itself. Theinvention is applicable to the splicing of two pieces of rope or to thetying of a single piece of rope around a bundle. The tie or spliceobtained is neat and compact and but ilttle greater in diameter than therope itself. The shape of the metal clip is such that it is yieldablewith the rope, rather than stiff and rigid. The rope is forced throughand around the successive fingers of the clip in' a sinuous manner whichinsures a tight grip and yet is not cut or permanently weakened by theclip. The nature and shape of the clip are such that despite therelative complexity and desire ability of the final union obtainedbetween the two ropes, the apparatus for performing the bending orlocking operation upon the clip may be relatively simple. The clips maybe supplied and stacked in substantially fiat condition.

It will be understood that the length of the clip may be varied inaccordance with the strength of splice necessary. Furthermore, the widthof the clip or, more particularly, the length of the spurs or fingers ofthe clip may be varied to accommodate ropes of different size. However,it is important to note that a clip of given width is capable ofsecurely locking together ropes which vary somewhat in diameter, for thegrip upon the rope is obtained not primarily by the curling of thefingers about the rope, but rather by the subsequent compression of theclip, resulting in, interlacing of the fingers and consequent weaving orsinuousness of the rope. This ability to readily accommodate differencesin rope diameter is a very important feature of the present inventionbecause a cheap grade of rope, such as is used for tying newspaperbundles, is not absolutely uniform in diameter but varies considerablyalong its length. 7 In other words, the precise relation between thesize of the clip and the diameter of the rope is not at all critical,and this makes it possible to use a given size of clipfor a reasonablerange of sizes of rope. However, clips of different size may readily beprovided in order to take care of large changes in size of rope.

' It will therefore be apparent that while I have shown and described myinvention in preferred form, many changes and modifications may be madein the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of theinvention defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. An intermediate or step product sheet metal clip or fastener forsplicing or tying rope or the like, said fastener being made of a metalblank shaped to form a relatively narrow backbone portion provided withoutwardly and oppositely directed fingers arranged in alternation uponopposite sides of the backbone portion, said sheet being bent at thebackbone portion to assume a shallow or open V shape in cross-section,and the ends of the fingers being curled in such a manner as to insuretheir being rolled about the remainder of the fingers when compressedtoward one another.

2. An intermediate or step product sheet metal clip or fastener forsplicing or tying rope or the like, saidfastener being made of a blankof moderately soft and pliable steel shaped to form a relatively narrowbackbone portion provided with outwardly and oppositely directed fingersarranged in alternation upon opposite sides of the backbone portion, theover-all length of the fingers of the fastener being approximately equalto the compressed circumference of the rope to be tied, said sheet beingbent at the backbone portion to assume a shallow or oven V shape incrosssection, and the ends of the fingers being curled in such a manneras to insure their being rolled about the remainder of the fingers whencompressed toward one another.

3. As an article of manufacture, a spliced or tied rope comprising ropeends brought into collateral relation, and a sheet metal clip orfastener splicing or tying said rope ends together, said fastener beingmade of a metal blank shaped to form a continuous portion provided withoppositely directed fingers arranged in alternation upon opposite sidesof the backbone portion, said sheet being so bent that the ends of thefingers at the opposite sides of the fastener are brought between therope ends and are disposed in interlaced relation, whereby each of therope ends weaves in sinuous formation through and around the alternatesucceeding fingers of the metallic fastener.

4. As an article of manufacture, a spliced or tied rope comprising ropeends broughtinto collateral relation, and a sheet metal clip or fastenersplicing or tying said rope ends together, said fastener being made of ametal blank shaped to form a relatively narrow backbone portion providedwith outwardly and oppositely directed fingers arranged in alternationupon opposite sides of the backbone portion, said sheet being so bentthat the fingers at one side of the fastener are curled around one ofthe rope ends while the fingers on the other side of the fastener arecurled around the other of the rope ends, and the alternate curledfingers are disposed in interlaced or interlocked relation, whereby eachof the rope ends is forced in sinuous formation through and around thealternate succeeding fingers of the metallic fastener.

5. As an article of manufacture, a spliced or tied rope comprising ropeends brought into collateral relation, and a sheet metal clip or fas'tener splicing or tying said rope ends together, said fastener beingmade of a blank of moderately soft and pliable cold rolled steel shapedto form a relatively narrow backbone portion provided with outwardly andoppositely directed fingers arranged in alternation upon opposite sidesof the backbone portion, and said sheet being so bent that the fingersat one side of the fastener are curled around one of the rope ends whilethe fingers on the other side of the fastener are curled around theother of the rope ends, and the alternate curled fingers are disposed ininterlaced or interlocked relation, whereby each of the rope ends weavesin sinuous formation through and around the alternate succeeding fingersof the metallic fastener.

6. As an article of manufacture, a spliced or tied rope comprising ropeends brought into collateral relation, and a sheet metal clip orfastener splicing or tying said rope ends together, said fastener beingmade of a metal blank shaped to form a relatively narrow backboneportion provided with outwardly and oppositely directed triangularlyshaped fingers arranged in alternation upon opposite sides of thebackbone portion, said sheet being so bent that the fingers at one sideof the fastener are curled around one of the rope ends while the fingerson the other side of the fastener are curled around the other of therope ends, and the alternate curled fingers are disposed in interlacedor interlocked relation, whereby each of the rope ends is forced insinuous formation through and around the alternate succeeding fingers ofthe metallic fastener, the triangular shape of the fingers causing aWedging action upon the bends in the rope ends when the sides of thefastener are compressed together.

7. As an article of manufacture, a spliced or tied rope comprising ropeends brought into collateral relation, and a sheet metal clip orfastener splicing for tying said rope ends together, said fastener beingmade of a blank of moderately soft and pliable steel shaped to form arelatively narrow backbone portion provided with outwardly andoppositely directed fingers arranged in alternation upon opposite sidesof the backbone portion, the over-all length of the fingers of thefastener being approximately equal to the compressed circumference ofthe rope to be tied, and said sheet being so bent that the fingers atone side of the fastener are curled around one of the rope ends whilethe fingers on the other side of the fastener are curled around theother of the rope ends, and the alternate curled fingers are disposed ininterlaced or interlocked relation, whereby each of the rope ends isforced in sinuous formation through and around the succeeding fingers ofthe metallic fastener.

FRITZ P. MANSBENDEL.

